Oklahoma St. and Mississippi St. will open the 2013 season in Houston.Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Mississippi State Bulldogs will open the 2013 season in the inaugural Texas Kick Off Classic, OSU has announced.

The game will be played on August 31, 2013 at Reliant Stadium in Houston. An ESPN network will televise the game, which will be the season-opener for both schools.

“We’re excited to open the season in Houston,” said Mike Holder, OSU Director of Athletics. “We have a growing number of Texans attending Oklahoma State and a large alumni base in the area. We will be playing a high-profile season opener in a great stadium. I think our fans will be eager for this matchup all summer.”

Mississippi State and Oklahoma State will meet for the fifth time and it will be the second game to be played off campus. The first meeting occurred in Jackson, MS in 1970, with the remaining games played in Stillwater (1971 and 1998) and Starkville (1999). The series is tied at two games each.

Oklahoma State is currently slated to travel to UTSA on Sept. 7 and host Lamar on Sept. 14. The game against the Bulldogs finalizes their 2013 non-conference schedule.

Mississippi State’s 2013 non-SEC schedule is also complete with the addition of the Oklahoma State game. The Bulldogs are scheduled to visit UAB on Sept. 7 and host Troy on Sept. 21 and Bowling Green on Oct. 12.